Tuesday, May 31, 2016

How far will we see?

From the Pantropy stories of James Blish to
novels like Frederik Pohl’s Man Plus, speculative fiction writers have often
dreamed about changing the basic human design. Science fiction is quickly
becoming science fact.

For the first time ever a blind woman has
been injected with a virus containing DNA from a light-sensitive algae. The
hope is that the DNA will bind to the ganglion nerve cells in her eye to
replace damaged photoreceptors that would otherwise send optical signals to the
brain.

But why stop with visible light? Now scientists
in the US are implanting sensors that detect infra-red directly into the brains
of mice. By using a series of switches that reward the mice with food when an
IR emitter is pressed, the mice have been trained to recognise and interpret
infra-red impulses. In effect they ‘see’ infra-red. Further experiments will
increase the sensory bandwidth to include ultra-violet, microwaves and beyond,
culminating in animals that can see all wavelengths.

Meanwhile another group is trying to
isolate the genetic or chemical element that enables animals like pigeons and
lobsters to sense the Earth’s magnetic field to guide navigation with a hope
that the ability can be replicated in humans. So one day you may be able to
‘see’ exactly where you are with your eyes shut.

Hacking humanity has only just begun.

This article originally appeared in the
'Launch Pad' section of Beyond, my free newsletter for lovers of science and
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SF quotes

"the Culture had placed its bets—long before the Idiran war had been envisaged—on the machine rather than the human brain. This was because the Culture saw itself as being a self-consciously rational society; and machines, even sentient ones, were more capable of achieving this desired state as well as more efficient at using it once they had. That was good enough for the Culture."— Iain M. Banks